Chris Kyle Frog Foundation Strengthens Commitment to Support Military and First Responder Marriages Through Research-Based Partnerships

Dec. 21, 2016

$200,000 in Holiday Grants awarded to the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University and The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work to fund evidence-based marital and mental health counseling programs for military and first responder marriages

Midlothian, Texas (December 21, 2016) – The Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, dedicated to honoring God, Country and Families Who Serve by providing experiences that strengthen military and first responder marriages and families, today announced $200,000 in Holiday Grants to the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University and The University of Texas (UT) at Austin School of Social Work to help launch the foundation’s Mastering Your Marriage program. Rooted in military and first responder marital and mental health research, this program expands the work started with the Foundation’s signature Revitalization Retreats. This new program encompasses an orientation weekend where couples will first pledge to transform their marriages, undergo baseline assessments, followed by a sustained 6-month curriculum that will include relationship-coaching provided by nationally known leaders in marriage, communications and trauma response, as well as ongoing support by graduate level clinicians-in-training.

These partnerships represent significant progress in realizing the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation’s strategic vision of expanding its impact as the Foundation grows. Both universities have nationally recognized graduate social work programs, with research missions that are in line with the values and work of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. The program at Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University centers around the integration of faith and practice—preparing professional social workers in a Christian context for global service and leadership. The Foundation’s partners on the research staff at the UT Austin School of Social Work bring significant experience in conducting research, evaluation, and implementation of direct services programs that support service members, military and veteran families.

“These grants mark the beginning of a deep partnership between the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation and two esteemed institutions,” said Taya Kyle, Executive Director, Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. “Together, leveraging expertise, passion and sound research, we have an opportunity to not only broadly reach and support our military and first responder couples, but also give our nation’s future clinicians an opportunity to learn about the unique challenges faced by families who serve.”

Each university will receive $100,000 as part of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation’s 2016 Holiday Grants. In addition to the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University and the UT Austin School of Social Work, the Foundation is gifting a third grant of $100,000 to Camp Southern Ground in support of an ongoing strategic partnership to build a military service component at Camp Southern Ground’s campus, which serves children from all races and religions with a special emphasis on those with developmental disorders.